The present invention relates an image scanning reading and recording system, and more particularly to an image scanning reading and recording system for reading image information from originals such as photographs or line drawings which are successively supplied and for recording images on photosensitive materials such as photographic films according to image recording conditions that have been stored for the respective originals.
In the fields of printing and platemaking, there have been employed in recent years image scanning reading and recording apparatus for reading out image information on originals such as photographs or line drawings and processing the read-out image information to produce original film plates with a view to simplifying the printing and platemaking processes and improving image quality.
The image scanning reading and recording apparatus basically comprises an input unit, a control unit, and an output unit. In the input unit, a reflective photograph or line drawing original is scanned by a light beam and the reflected light is detected by a photo-multiplier or a similar light detector, or alternatively the image of the original is read out by a CCD (charge-coupled device) which converts the image information to electric signals representative of varying intensities of the reflected light. The input unit includes a keyboard for entering desired printing and platemaking conditions into the control unit. The image information which has photoelectrically been converted by the input unit is processed by the control unit for correcting gradations and breaking up the image into halftone dots, for example, according to the entered platemaking conditions. The processed image information is then converted by the output unit to an optical signal in the form of a laser beam, which is applied to a photosensitive medium such as a photographic film to record the desired image thereon. The photosensitive medium on which the image has been recorded is then subjected to a development process to produce an original film plate which will subsequently be used in a printing process.
It is preferable that the image scanning reading and recording apparatus of the above type be employed not only in the color printing field but also in the monochromatic printing area.
In view of the above demand, the applicant has developed a monochromatic scanner designed for improved efficiency and image quality. In order to obtain original film plates of desired performance in the above image scanning reading and recording apparatus, it is necessary to enter, through the keyboard, printing and platemaking conditions dependent on the condition of an original to be read or the printing method to be used. For example, gradations should be controlled dependent on whether the printing method is offset printing or letterpress printing or whether the paper is art paper or wood-free paper, and appropriate exposure control should be done by selecting a screen ruling, setting the density of an original, halftone dots, and a halftone dot ratio. It is also necessary to enter, through the input unit, various printing and plate-making conditions such as an image magnification or reduction ratio, image sharpness and intensity each time a film original is to be prepared.
Therefore, the input process for entering printing and platemaking conditions is quite complex, and a highly skilled operator is needed to enter such desired data items. When the operator is asked to process a number of originals, the operator first enters necessary data items on image recording conditions through the keyboard for the first original, which is then delivered into the input unit where the image is read from the original. In the output unit, the image information is recorded on a photosensitive medium according to the entered recording conditions to produce an original film plate. The same processing cycle will be repeated for processing the other originals.
While the originals are being read and the images are being recorded on photosensitive mediums, the operator is required to interact with the apparatus. It has been pointed out that the process of forming original film plates in the conventional image scanning reading and recording apparatus requires consistent skill on the part of the operator, or is of different efficiency from operator to operator.